A Football team in Hartford, CT

Ladies and Gentlemen, this upcoming summer there will be a new football organization debuting. It’s not an extreme style of football debuting like the failed WWE venture called the XFL, but a league called the United Football League (UFL). The league is still in its initial planning process as we speak with gathering potential team markets for its teams and what not. The UFL is being organized by Michael Huyghue who will be the Commissioner of the league and who once was the Jacksonville Jaguars VP of personnel and investors from Wall Street and Google’s senior executive Tim Armstrong.

The league will play its games on Thursdays and Fridays starting in September and end with a Championship Game in late November. In its first season there will be up 6-8 teams competing in the league. The cities that will part take in the UFL’s first season in 2009 are…
• Hartford, CT
• Las Vegas, NV
• Loa Angeles, CA
• New York City, NY
• Orlando, FL
• San Francisco, CA
Potential other Markets:
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Monterrey, Mexico

As of today, I have learned that Jim Fassel, former Giants head coach will be the head coach of the Las Vegas team in the UFL. Teams will have a salary cap in the league such as…
• Player’s salary cap: 20 Mill
• Team Coaching Staff Salary Cap: 3 Mill

In my opinion, I don’t know what to make of this new football league. It’s the first I’ve heard of it. I can’t say I like the idea or hate it, but I will need to wait and see what happens with it. I think it’s good for the NFL to have some competition, but will it really be a competitor with the NFL? The NFL is big now. We’ll have to wait and see. The league is still in its initial starting process and will take time to expand into something bigger. The NFL first was a small league back when it started off. If the league does what it need to which is make the audience aware of its product and advertise its main great players it could do well. Players who can’t get drafted into the NFL or get cut from the NFL can go the UFL instead going over the border to play in Canada in the CFL. Why should America lose its own talent to Canada? I think it’s about time that there will be a league for people who don’t get drafted or cut for a second chance. As we speak QB Chris Leak is playing in the CFL. Maybe some AFL players will play in the UFL instead of in the AFL. Not many players make it to the NFL from the AFL. That is because of the difference in the style of the game. The only position that has translated well from the AFL to NFL has only been QB. Now with the UFL starting up, those players have new options in playing actual football with 100 yards instead of a 50 yards field.

From a fan’s POV who lives near Hartford, CT. I’m kind of happy to hear about the news of CT getting a football team. Hartford once was a hockey city with the Hartford Whalers playing at the Hartford Civic Center back in the 90’s (1979-1997). Well, they left and we were left with a minor league hockey team (Hartford Wolfpack). We’re known for our hoops for both men and women’s and the Uconn football team is getting some attention with 3 bowl appearances (2-1) for the football team. The closest thing we have to a football team was and could’ve been the New England Patriots (once were going to relocate to Hartford, CT…which didn’t happen and never will). I think it’s about time for CT to get a football team and it could work. Many fans do show up to the college games and I believe people will show up to the UFL games as well. So next Fall, let’s fill the Rent in support of the UFL.

I wonder what other coaches will come to the UFL. Heck Jim Fassel has signed as a coach. What other coaches will sign on…Jon Gruden, Mike Shananhan…maybe not.